This invention relates generally to the field of protective armor and more particularly to body armor having improved protection against blunt injury trauma.
Body armor has been known and used to protect personnel and equipment from projectiles for centuries. Ideally, body armor should prevent injury from ballistic threats including round fragmentation or xe2x80x9cspallingxe2x80x9d upon striking the armor, penetration of the armor by the projectile and blunt injury trauma to the user beneath the armor.
In connection with the foregoing, armor has traditionally taken the form of a metal plate that was designed to prevent penetration. In the last 20 years significant improvements have been made in body armor as the result of the development of advanced materials. For example, Kevlar(copyright) has enabled the construction of bullet-proof vests that are significantly lighter and more flexible than the metal plates previously employed. The so-called xe2x80x9cbullet-proof vestxe2x80x9d more fully covers the body and may also cover a portion of the extremities. Also, the more comfortable the armor is, the greater the likelihood that it will be worn. Notwithstanding the foregoing, personnel wearing body armor tend to get hot, especially in warmer climates, and they are often removed or not worn at all.
With regard to spalling, it can often be as deadly as round penetration. Upon striking a target, round or projectile fragments can fan out in a 360xc2x0 pattern normal to the exterior surface of the armor resulting in lethal injuries to the head and neck. In response to this threat, anti-spalling materials have been developed and usually take the form of a layer that is placed external to the body armor. One such material is a flexible rubberized layer available from THETA Technologies of Palm Bay, Fla. and which contains Allied Signal Kevlar(copyright) fibers. Another anti-spalling material is a coated, rigid foamed metal such as aluminum which available from ERG, Inc.
Lastly, blunt injury trauma can be almost as incapacitating as round penetration. While the body armor may prevent the penetration of a round, the resulting impact and body trauma can fracture the sternum or ribs, and render the wearer unconscious. Attempts have been made to mitigate the effects of blunt injury trauma, but the materials are heavy and bulky, so they have not been widely adopted.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved body armor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved body armor which is effective in mitigating blunt injury trauma.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved body armor that is relatively inexpensive.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved body armor that maintains the wearer cooler than prior art armor.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved body armor that may be used in conjunction with currently available body armor.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a body armor (or armor generally) comprising a projectile penetrant inhibiting layer and an impact energy absorbing layer positioned in overlying relation to one side of the projectile penetrant inhibiting layer such that the impact energy absorbing layer is adapted to absorb the impact energy from an incoming projectile. More specifically, the impact energy absorbing layer spreads at least a portion of the impact energy in the plane of the impact energy absorbing layer.
In another aspect of the invention, the impact energy absorbing layer contains a foam to further enhance impact energy absorption. Additionally, a temperature stabilizing means such as a phase change material is placed within the impact energy absorbing layer and provides thermal regulation. The phase change material may be bulk, microencapsulated or macroencapsulated and may be placed directly within the impact energy absorbing layer or within the foam as desired.